The eels of Comacchio

Abstract

Every year, at the Sagra delle Anguille, held at Yuletide and at Eastertime, an elaborately tricky device is employed to cull the eels which have rendered the Comacchio brands famous worldwide. Fence-like structures made of reeds called grisole are planted in the lagoon bed in the shape of a series of communicating triangular basins in the shape of arrowheads - this allows for the differentiated capture of fish. In autumn, especially in moonless or stormy nights, seawater entered the lagoons due to the prevailing southerly and east winds. Such waters are more oxygenated and less cold than the lagoon ones, hence enticing white fish species to migrate, together with the eels, towards the sea.